Professor Dan Schwarz is a very eloquent and engaging speaker. I think everyone in the room was able to see that.

Instead of telling us what we have all already heard about finding internships and asking professors for recommendations, maybe he could have shared some of the secrets behind how he can present to a roomful of people without a shred of visible anxiety.

Schwarz mentioned multiple times how important interviews will be in a college student’s future, and his advice on the matter was to speak confidently without “um”s and “like”s.

Which is much easier said than done.

Most people are not blessed with the natural eloquence that Schwarz clearly displayed to us last Wednesday night. I believe his spiel about interviews would have been much more effective if he had included even a few tips about how to overcome your “um”s while speaking in nerve-wracking situations.

Furthermore, I sensed a slight aura of superiority from him while he was talking about his colleagues whom he has seen stumble with “um”s while giving speeches. As someone with social anxiety, I find it difficult to talk in normal social situations, let alone during an interview or while giving a speech or presentation. Instead of putting down those of us who are not naturally blessed with articulacy like he is, perhaps Schwarz should have shared some insight into improving this in order to kick butt in our future interviews. I think this is the best advice he could have given us that night.